{
  "title": "Mask Mandates Save Lives",
  "publication": "IMF Working Papers, August 6, 2021",
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  "summary": "We quantify the effect of mask mandates in the United States. Our regression discontinuity design exploits county-level variation in COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths across the border between states with and without mandates.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Summary and research question",
      "content": "- Quantifies the effect of mask mandates in the United States using a regression discontinuity design exploiting county-level variation across state borders with and without mandates.\n- Focuses on outcomes: COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Methods",
      "content": "- Regression discontinuity design at county borders between states with and without mask mandates.\n- County-level variation used for cases, hospital admissions, and deaths."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Key quantitative findings",
      "content": "- Mask mandates reduced new weekly COVID-19 cases by 55 per 100,000 inhabitants on average.\n- Mask mandates reduced new weekly hospital admissions by 11 per 100,000 inhabitants on average.\n- Mask mandates reduced new weekly deaths by 0.7 per 100,000 inhabitants on average.\n- Estimated lives saved through December 19, 2020: 87,000.\n- Estimated additional lives that could have been saved under a nationwide mandate: 58,000."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Heterogeneity and behavioral interaction",
      "content": "- The effect of mask mandates depends on attitudes toward mask wearing at the county level.\n- Larger effects observed in counties more positively inclined towards mask wearing."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Policy implications",
      "content": "- Mask mandates are a crucial tool to counter pandemics when widely accepted by the population.\n- Findings are relevant for countries unable to immunize large swaths of their population in the short term.\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- Working Paper\n  - Working Paper (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Working Paper (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2021/08/05/mask-mandates-save-lives-460123"
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    "Authors: Niels-Jakob H Hansen, Rui Mano",
    "Published: August 6, 2021",
    "Series: IMF Working Papers",
    "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513577616.001",
    "Quantifies the effect of mask mandates in the United States using a regression discontinuity design exploiting county-level variation across state borders with and without mandates.",
    "Focuses on outcomes: COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions, and deaths.",
    "Regression discontinuity design at county borders between states with and without mask mandates.",
    "County-level variation used for cases, hospital admissions, and deaths.",
    "Mask mandates reduced new weekly COVID-19 cases by 55 per 100,000 inhabitants on average.",
    "Mask mandates reduced new weekly hospital admissions by 11 per 100,000 inhabitants on average.",
    "Mask mandates reduced new weekly deaths by 0.7 per 100,000 inhabitants on average.",
    "Estimated lives saved through December 19, 2020: 87,000.",
    "Estimated additional lives that could have been saved under a nationwide mandate: 58,000.",
    "The effect of mask mandates depends on attitudes toward mask wearing at the county level.",
    "Larger effects observed in counties more positively inclined towards mask wearing.",
    "Mask mandates are a crucial tool to counter pandemics when widely accepted by the population.",
    "Findings are relevant for countries unable to immunize large swaths of their population in the short term.",
    "**Working Paper**"
  ],
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